Ionizers may be used at many locations in manufacturing facilities to reduce the potential for electrostatic discharge when assembling, testing, or repairing electrical devices and components. Cleanroom environments also use ionizers for similar reasons in addition to the need to reduce the likelihood of contamination. Many ionizers typically contain a brushed motor to generate airflow through the ionizer. As the brushes in the motors wear they contribute to an increase of sub micron level particulates ejected from the ionizer. These particulates pose a threat to the cleanliness level of the devices and/or components.
Previous attempts to reduce the likelihood of particulate contamination have included increasing the distance between the ionizer and the hardware being worked on, reducing the amount of time the ionizer operates, and reducing the flow rate through the ionizer. Additional filtration systems have also been added to the ionizers with limited success. Effectiveness of each of these methods may also be limited due to the location of the workstation or bench where work is performed in comparison to the location of the ionizer.